Mobile communication devices and context-based geofence control methods thereof

ABSTRACT

A mobile communication device and associated method are provided. The device includes a positioning unit, configured to provide position information of the mobile communication device, and a processing unit, configured to detect an approach to a first geofence according to a plurality of contexts associated with the mobile communication device, turn off the positioning unit when not detecting the approach to the first geofence, and turn on the positioning unit when detecting the approach to the first geofence. The contexts include at least one cellular context and at least one personal context or multimedia context, and the processing unit is further configured to prioritize at least one of the cellular context and the personal context or the multimedia context over the other contexts, for detecting the approach to the first geofence.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of pending U.S. Application No.14/754,067, filed on Jun. 29, 2015, which claims priority of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/020,000, filed on Jul. 2, 2014, theentirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The invention generally relates to location-based services usinggeofences, and more particularly to context-based geofence controlmethods for reducing power consumption.

Description of the Related Art

In recent years, Location-Based Services (LBS) involving “geofences”have dramatically increased in popularity, along with the rapiddevelopment of positioning technologies. Generally, a geofence refers toa virtual perimeter of a real-world geographic area for use with an LBS,and certain processes or actions associated with the LBS may betriggered for a tracked mobile device when the location information ofthe tracked mobile device strongly correlates to such an area. Forexample, a geofence may be defined as a radius around a Point ofInterest (POI) or Region of Interest (ROI), and the tracked mobiledevice may evaluate whether it is inside or outside the geofence basedon its current location. In most practices, it is required for thetracked mobile device to always turn on the positioning module(s)therein, so as to acquire updates of the location information in realtime for supporting the geofence evaluation. However, always keeping thepositioning module(s) on is very power consuming and inevitably resultsin short battery life. Thus, it is desirable to have a moreenergy-efficient method for geofence controls.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the invention, a mobile communication device comprisesa positioning unit, configured to provide position information of themobile communication device, and a processing unit, configured to detectan approach to a first geofence according to a plurality of contextsassociated with the mobile communication device, turn off thepositioning unit when not detecting the approach to the first geofence,and turn on the positioning unit when detecting the approach to thefirst geofence. The contexts include at least one cellular context andat least one personal context or multimedia context, and the processingunit is further configured to prioritize at least one of the cellularcontext and the personal context or the multimedia context over theother contexts, for detecting the approach to the first geofence.

In another aspect of the invention, a context-based geofence controlmethod, executed by a mobile communication device comprising apositioning unit for providing position information of the mobilecommunication device, is provided. The context-based geofence controlmethod comprises the steps of: detecting an approach to a first geofenceaccording to a plurality of contexts associated with the mobilecommunication device, turning off the positioning unit when notdetecting the approach to the first geofence, and turning on thepositioning unit when detecting the approach to the first geofence. Thecontexts comprise at least one cellular context and at least onepersonal context or multimedia context, and the processing unit isfurther configured to prioritize at least one of the cellular contextand the personal context or the multimedia context over the othercontexts, for detecting the approach to the first geofence.

Other aspects and features of the invention will become apparent tothose with ordinary skill in the art upon review of the followingdescriptions of specific embodiments of the mobile communication deviceand the context-based geofence method.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequentdetailed description and examples with references made to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a mobile communication deviceaccording to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a regional map with geofences and theposition of the mobile communication device 100 according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary layout withcoverage of a geofence and multiple cells according to an embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the context-based geofence controlmethod according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary layout withcoverage of a geofence and multiple cells according to anotherembodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating the context-based geofence controlmethod according to another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following description is of the best-contemplated mode of carryingout the invention. This description is made for the purpose ofillustrating the general principles of the invention and should not betaken in a limiting sense. It should be understood that the embodimentsmay be realized in software, hardware, firmware, or any combinationthereof.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a mobile communication deviceaccording to an embodiment of the invention. The mobile communicationdevice 100 comprises a positioning unit 110, a context acquisition unit120, a storage unit 130, and a processing unit 140. The positioning unit110 is responsible for providing position information of the mobilecommunication device 100. For example, the positioning unit 110 maycomprise a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) module and/or a Global NavigationSatellite System (GNSS) module. The WiFi technology utilized by the WiFimodule is a Short Range Wireless (SRW) technology, by which the mobilecommunication device 100 may obtain wireless services, such as dataand/or voice services, from an Access Point (AP), and obtain the ServiceSet Identification (SSID), Basic SSID (BSSID), or Extended SSID (ESSID)of the connected AP for positioning purposes. The WiFi technologygenerally has, on average, a coverage varying from 20 meters in an areawith obstacles (walls, stairways, elevators etc) to 100 meters in anarea with a clear line of sight. The GNSS technology. The GNSS may be aGlobal Positioning System (GPS), GLONASS, Galileo system, or Beidousystem, which is capable of receiving location and time information fromsatellites in all weather conditions.

The context acquisition unit 120 is responsible for obtaining contextsassociated with the mobile communication device 100. Specifically, thecontexts provide information from which the location/position of themobile communication device 100 may be derived. The contexts may includeseveral types of contexts, such as cellular contexts, personal contexts,and multimedia contexts.

In one embodiment, the cellular contexts may include the identity of acell (referred to herein as cell identity) on which the mobilecommunication device 100 is currently camped, and/or the identity of aPublic Land Mobile Network (PLMN) (referred to herein as PLMN identity)to which the cell belongs. Correspondingly, the context acquisition unit120 may include a cellular communication module utilizing one or more ofthe Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) technology, GeneralPacket Radio Service (GPRS) technology, Enhanced Data rates for GlobalEvolution (EDGE) technology, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access(WCDMA) technology, Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (CDMA-2000)technology, Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access(TD-SCDMA) technology, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access(WiMAX) technology, Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, LTE-Advanced(LTE-A) technology, and Time-Division LTE (TD-LTE) technology, etc.

In one embodiment, the personal contexts may include at least one of thefollowing: 1) an operation mode of the mobile communication device 100,which indicates whether the mobile communication device 100 is operatingin a flight mode or a power-saving mode; 2) an event in a calendarapplication (e.g., Google Calendar) executed by the mobile communicationdevice 100; and 3) mobility information of the mobile communicationdevice 100, which indicates the moving speed of the mobile communicationdevice 100. Correspondingly, the context acquisition unit 120 mayinclude a software process for retrieving the operation mode, or anapplication for retrieving the calendar event information, or a cellularcommunication module for determining the moving speed by, for example,counting the number of crossed cell edges within a given time period.

In one embodiment, the multimedia contexts may include at least one ofthe following: 1) an image in which at least one landmark is taken; 2) aradio broadcast in which at least one place name is announced; and 3) avideo stream in which at least one landmark appears or at least oneplace name appears or is announced. Correspondingly, the contextacquisition unit 120 may include a digital camera for obtaining theimage, or a radio receiver for obtaining the radio broadcast, or a videocamera for obtaining the video stream.

The storage unit 130 is responsible for storing the contexts obtained bythe context acquisition unit 120. For example, the storage unit 130 maybe a memory (e.g., Random Access Memory (RAM), Flash memory, orNon-Volatile Random Access Memory (NVRAM), etc.), a magnetic storagedevice (e.g., magnetic tape or hard disk), an optical storage device(e.g., Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM)), or any combinationthereof.

The processing unit 140 may be a Micro Control Unit (MCU), ageneral-purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), anapplication processor, or the like, which is responsible for providingthe function of data processing and computing, and for controlling theoperation of the positioning unit 110 and the context acquisition unit120 for performing the context-based geofence control method of thepresent invention. Specifically, the processing unit 140 uses thecontexts to detect an approach to a geofence, and then decides to turnon the positioning unit 110 when detecting an approach to the geofenceand to turn off the positioning unit 110 when not detecting an approachto the geofence.

Although not shown, the mobile communication device 100 may furthercomprise other functional units as needed, such as a display device(e.g., a screen, a panel, or a touch panel), an Input and Output (I/O)device (e.g., a mouse, a keyboard, a microphone, a speaker, and/or atouch pad), and so on. For example, the mobile communication device 100may be a feature phone, a smartphone, a panel PC, a notebook computer,or a gaming console device, etc.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a regional map with geofences and theposition of the mobile communication device 100 according to anembodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 2, a geofence may be aspot, e.g., the denoted geofence 2, or an area, e.g., the denotedgeofence 1, or a position of another mobile communication device, e.g.,the denoted geofence 3. The denoted geofence 1 and geofence 2 may bepredetermined or dynamically determined. For example, the denotedgeofence 1 may be predetermined to a Point of Interest (POI), such as afavorite restaurant, coffee shop, or store, or may be dynamicallydetermined to be the site of a traffic accident, or the site of alimited time offer. The denoted geofence 2 may be predetermined to be aRegion of Interest (ROI), such as a house, a supermarket, an exhibitioncenter, an office, or a park, or may be dynamically determined to be anarea that is temporarily cordoned off by police for emergency or suddenincidents. For the case where the denoted geofence 1 or geofence 2 isdynamically determined, certain feeds for configuring the geofences maybe required to be installed on the mobile communication device 100. Whenthe mobile communication device 100 approaches the denoted geofence 1 orgeofence 2 within a predetermined distance (e.g., 100 meters), or entersor leaves the denoted geofence 1 or geofence 2, a task may be performedby the mobile communication device 100, wherein the task may involvesending an email, text message, or application notification (e.g., aFacebook message) to a third party.

The denoted geofence 3 may also be referred to as a Peer-to-Peer (P2P)geofence. When the two tracked mobile communication devices areapproaching or moving away from each other within a predetermineddistance, a task may be performed by either one or both of the mobilecommunication devices, wherein the task may involve generating an alarmor notification indicating to the user that they are approaching ormoving away from each other.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary layout withcoverage of a geofence and multiple cells according to an embodiment ofthe invention. In this embodiment, the contexts used for detecting anapproach to the geofence are the cell identities of the cells around thegeofence. As shown in FIG. 3, there are 6 cells with cell identities Ato F, and 1 geofence (denoted as “G”), wherein the coverage of each celland the geofence overlaps at least in part with each other. Each of thecells is formed by a respective cellular station, such as a Base Station(BS), a Node-B (NB), or an evolved NB (eNB), of a service network, whichuses the cellular technology (e.g., GSM/GPRS/EDGE technology, WCDMAtechnology, CDMA-2000 technology, TD-SCDMA technology, WiMAX technology,or LTE/TD-LTE/LTE-A technology) to provide wireless services for themobile communication device 100.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that the mobile communication device100 has been to the geofence before and has stored the cell identitiesof the cells around the geofence. When none of the cell identities A toF is detected, the mobile communication device 100 turns off thepositioning unit 110 to save power due to the fact that it doesn't comeclose to the geofence. In one embodiment, the mobile communicationdevice 100 may detect a cell identity of a cell after it hassuccessfully camped on the cell. Later, when one of the cell identitiesA to F is detected, the mobile communication device 100 turns on thepositioning unit 110 to obtain precise location information of themobile communication device 100 due to the fact that it has come closeto the geofence.

It is noted that, in this embodiment, the geofence is covered by thecell with cell identity F. After the mobile communication device 100enters the geofence, it keeps the positioning unit 110 on when notdetecting the cell identity F, and turns off the positioning unit 110when detecting the cell identity F due to the fact that it is far fromthe edge of the geofence.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the context-based geofence controlmethod according to an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment,the context-based geofence control method is applied to a mobilecommunication device comprising a WiFi module and a GNSS module forproviding position information of the mobile communication device, andthe contexts used for detecting an approach to the geofence are the cellidentities of the cells around the geofence. To begin, the mobilecommunication device retrieves the cell identities of the cells aroundthe selected geofence (step S401). Next, the mobile communication devicedetects an approach to the selected geofence according to the cellidentities. Specifically, the mobile communication device determineswhether one of the cell identities is detected (step S402). If none ofthe cell identities is detected, the mobile communication device turnsoff the WiFi module and the GNSS module to save power (step S403), andthe method returns to step S402.

Subsequent to step S402, if one of the cell identities is detected, themobile communication device turns on the WiFi module to obtain precisepositioning information of the mobile communication device (step S404),and then turns on the GNSS module to obtain more precise positioninginformation of the mobile communication device when the WiFi modulecannot provide positioning information of the mobile communicationdevice (step S405). In another embodiment, if one of the cell identitiesis detected, the mobile communication device may wait for apredetermined period of time before continuing with step S404. Later,after the mobile communication device enters the geofence, it isdetermined whether it has left the geofence (step S406), and if so, itturns off the WiFi module and the GNSS module (step S407), and themethod ends. Otherwise, if the mobile communication device is still inthe geofence, it keeps the WiFi module and the GNSS module on (stepS408), and the method returns to step S406.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary layout withcoverage of a geofence and multiple cells according to anotherembodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the contexts used fordetecting an approach to the geofences are the cell identities of thecells around the geofences. As shown in FIG. 5, there are 5 cells withcell identities A′ to E′, and 2 geofences (denoted as “G1” and “G2”),wherein the coverage of each cell and the geofence G1 or G2 overlaps atleast in part with each other. Each of the cells is formed by arespective cellular station, such as a BS, an NB, or an eNB, of aservice network, which uses the cellular technology to provide wirelessservices for the mobile communication device 100. In addition to thecells and the geofences, there are 3 special geofences, called safezones (denoted as “S1”, “S2”, and “S3”), each of which specifies an areawhere the mobile communication device 100 may turn off the positioningunit 110 when it is in such an area. For example, the safe zones S1, S2,and S3 may be offices where the user of the mobile communication device100 goes to work, and the geofences G1 and G2 may refer to favoriterestaurants near the offices, wherein each of the save zones S1, S2, andS3 may be defined by the coverage of a respective cell other than thecells with cell identities A′ to E′.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that the mobile communication device100 has been to the geofences before and has stored the cell identitiesof the cells around the geofences. When one of the cell identities A′ toE′ is detected, the mobile communication device 100 turns on thepositioning unit 110 to obtain precise location information of themobile communication device 100 due to the fact that it has come closeto the geofence G1. In one embodiment, the mobile communication device100 may detect a cell identity of a cell after it has successfullycamped on the cell. Later, when the mobile communication device 100enters the safe zone S1, it turns off the positioning unit 110 to savepower regardless of the fact that the geofences G1 and G2 are nearby.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating the context-based geofence controlmethod according to another embodiment of the invention. Similar to FIG.4, the context-based geofence control method is applied to a mobilecommunication device comprising a WiFi module and a GNSS module forproviding position information of the mobile communication device, andthe contexts used for detecting an approach to the geofence are the cellidentities of the cells around the geofence. To begin, the mobilecommunication device retrieves the cell identities of the cells aroundthe selected geofences (step S601). Next, the mobile communicationdevice detects an approach to any one of the selected geofencesaccording to the cell identities. Specifically, the mobile communicationdevice determines whether one of the cell identities is detected (stepS602). If none of the cell identities is detected, the mobilecommunication device turns off the WiFi module and the GNSS module tosave power (step S603), and the method returns to step S602.

Subsequent to step S602, if one of the cell identities is detected, themobile communication device determines whether it is in a safe zone(step S604). If the mobile communication device is in a safe zone, itkeeps the WiFi module and the GNSS module off to save power (step S605),and the method returns to step S602. Otherwise, if the mobilecommunication device is not in a safe zone, it turns on the WiFi moduleto obtain precise positioning information of the mobile communicationdevice (step S606), and then turns on the GNSS module to obtain moreprecise positioning information of the mobile communication device whenthe WiFi module cannot provide the positioning information of the mobilecommunication device (step S607).

Later, after the mobile communication device enters one of thegeofences, it is determined whether it has left the geofence (stepS608), and if so, it turns off the WiFi module and the GNSS module (stepS609), and the method ends. Otherwise, if the mobile communicationdevice is still in the geofence, it keeps the WiFi module and the GNSSmodule on (step S610), and the method returns to step S608.

It should be understood that, although the aforementioned embodimentsuse cell identities as the contexts for detecting an approach togeofences, other types of contexts may be used instead. For example, ifthe contexts are the PLMN identities, the mobile communication devicemay determine that it has approached to the geofence in a specificcountry when it roams to that country and detects the PLMN identityindicating the country code of that country.

If the contexts are the operation modes of the mobile communicationdevice, the mobile communication device may determine that it hasapproached to the geofence when the operation mode is a flight mode or apower-saving mode. That is, the mobile communication device turns offthe positioning unit when the operation mode is the flight mode orpower-saving mode. If the contexts are the events in a calendarapplication executed by the mobile communication device, the mobilecommunication device may determine that it has approached to a geofencewhen one of the events indicates that the user should be present nearthe geofence by an address or a place name. If the contexts are themobility information (e.g., moving speed) of the mobile communicationdevice, the mobile communication device may determine that it hasapproached to a geofence by the distance to the geofence and its movingspeed. For example, if the user of the mobile communication device ismoving in 5 kilometers per hour, the mobile communication device maycome close to a geofence locating 10 kilometers away from its currentlocation in about 2 hours, and the positioning unit may be turned on 2hours from now.

If the contexts are the images taken by the mobile communication device(with a digital camera), the mobile communication device may determinethat it has approached to a geofence when a landmark near the geofenceappears in the images. If the contexts are the radio broadcasts receivedby the mobile communication device (with a radio receiver), the mobilecommunication device may determine that it has approached to a geofencewhen the place name of the geofence or a place name near the geofence isannounced in the radio broadcasts and recognized therefrom. If thecontexts are the video streams recorded by the mobile communicationdevice (with a video camera), the mobile communication device maydetermine that it has approached to a geofence when a landmark near thegeofence appears in the video streams, or when the place name of thegeofence or a place name near the geofence is announced in the videostreams.

Alternatively, the mobile communication device may use any combinationof different types of contexts, and may even prioritize one type of thecontexts over the other types of the contexts. For example, acombination of the cell identities, calendar events, and radiobroadcasts is used, wherein the cell identities are used as the mainreferences while the calendar events and radio broadcasts are used asauxiliary references, for detecting an approach to a geofence.

While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms ofthe preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention isnot limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it isintended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (aswould be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope ofthe appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so asto encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.

Use of ordinal terms such as “first” and “second” in the claims tomodify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority,precedence, or order of one claim element over another or the temporalorder in which acts of a method are performed, but are used merely aslabels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name fromanother element having the same name (but for use of the ordinal term)to distinguish the claim elements.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mobile communication device, comprising: apositioning unit, configured to provide position information of themobile communication device; and a processing unit, configured to detectan approach to a first geofence according to a plurality of contextsassociated with the mobile communication device, turn off thepositioning unit when not detecting the approach to the first geofence,and turn on the positioning unit when detecting the approach to thefirst geofence, wherein the contexts comprise at least one cellularcontext and at least one personal context, and the processing unit isfurther configured to prioritize at least one of the cellular contextand the personal context over the other contexts, for detecting theapproach to the first geofence.
 2. The mobile communication device ofclaim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to turn offthe positioning unit when detecting that the mobile communication devicehas entered a second geofence according to one or more of the contexts.3. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the firstgeofence is associated with a predetermined spot or area, and theprocessing unit is further configured to perform a task whendetermining, via the positioning unit, that the mobile communicationdevice has entered or left the first geofence, or approached the firstgeofence within a predetermined distance.
 4. The mobile communicationdevice of claim 1, wherein the first geofence is associated with adynamically determined spot or area, and the processing unit is furtherconfigured to perform a task when determining, via the positioning unit,that the mobile communication device has approached the first geofencewithin a predetermined distance.
 5. The mobile communication device ofclaim 1, wherein the cellular context comprises at least one of thefollowing: an identity of a cell which the mobile communication deviceis currently camped on; and an identity of a Public Land Mobile Network(PLMN) to which the cell belongs.
 6. The mobile communication device ofclaim 1, wherein the personal context comprises at least one of thefollowing: an operation mode of the mobile communication device, whichindicates whether the mobile communication device is operating in aflight mode or a power-saving mode; an event in a calendar applicationexecuted by the mobile communication device; and mobility information ofthe mobile communication device, which indicates a moving speed of themobile communication device.
 7. The mobile communication device of claim1, wherein the positioning unit comprises at least one of a WirelessFidelity (WiFi) module and a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)module.
 8. A context-based geofence control method, executed by a mobilecommunication device comprising a positioning unit for providingposition information of the mobile communication device, thecontext-based geofence control method comprising: detecting an approachto a first geofence according to a plurality of contexts associated withthe mobile communication device; turning off the positioning unit whennot detecting the approach to the first geofence; and turning on thepositioning unit when detecting the approach to the first geofence;wherein the contexts comprise at least one cellular context and at leastone personal context and the context-based geofence control methodfurther comprises: prioritizing at least one of the cellular context andthe personal context over the other contexts, for detecting the approachto the first geofence.
 9. The context-based geofence control method ofclaim 8, further comprising: turning off the positioning unit whendetecting that the mobile communication device has entered a secondgeofence according to one or more of the contexts.
 10. The context-basedgeofence control method of claim 8, wherein the first geofence isassociated with a predetermined spot or area, and the context-basedgeofence control method further comprises: performing a task whendetermining, via the positioning unit, that the mobile communicationdevice has entered or left the first geofence, or approached the firstgeofence within a predetermined distance.
 11. The context-based geofencecontrol method of claim 8, wherein the first geofence is associated witha dynamically determined spot or area, and the context-based geofencecontrol method further comprises: performing a task when determining,via the positioning unit, that the mobile communication device hasapproached the first geofence within a predetermined distance.
 12. Thecontext-based geofence control method of claim 8, wherein the cellularcontext comprises at least one of the following: an identity of a cellwhich the mobile communication device is currently camped on; and anidentity of a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) to which the cellbelongs.
 13. The context-based geofence control method of claim 8,wherein the personal context comprises at least one of the following: anoperation mode of the mobile communication device, which indicateswhether the mobile communication device is operating in a flight mode ora power-saving mode; an event of a calendar application executed by themobile communication device; and mobility information of the mobilecommunication device, which indicates a moving speed of the mobilecommunication device.
 14. The context-based geofence control method ofclaim 8, wherein the positioning unit comprises at least one of aWireless Fidelity (WiFi) module and a Global Navigation Satellite System(GNSS) module.
 15. A context-based geofence control method, executed bya mobile communication device comprising a positioning unit forproviding position information of the mobile communication device, thecontext-based geofence control method comprising: detecting an approachto a first geofence according to a plurality of contexts associated withthe mobile communication device; turning off the positioning unit whennot detecting the approach to the first geofence; turning on thepositioning unit when detecting the approach to the first geofence;wherein the first geofence is associated with a position of anothermobile communication device; and performing a task when determining, viathe positioning unit, that the two mobile communication devices areapproaching or moving away from each other within a predetermineddistance.